Graduate Creative Producing

Business and creativity combine in the role of creative producer, where entrepreneurial
skills and storytelling expertise are a must. Creative Producers generate and cultivate
projects from the initial idea phase to its completion, with an intense focus on the
story but also an understanding of commercial viability. The balance can sometimes
be a difficult one to strike, but in the UNCSA Creative Producing program it will
become second nature.

Master of Fine Arts

First YearIn your first year of the graduate creative producer degree program, you will be required
to take a variety of courses to improve your understanding of the storytelling side
of filmmaking as well as the entrepreneurial components. You will take part in a series
of screenings, workshops and seminars with prominent guest artists to discuss the
film and television industry and its ever-changing landscape, with ample opportunity
to ask questions and share your own ideas. In Fundamentals of Cinematic Storytelling,
you will learn about the broad spectrum of the story-development process, from initial
concept to your final draft. Two Cinema Studies courses will be offered to cover the
styles and evolution of both international and American films, and the logistic side
of filmmaking will be emphasized in The Business of Production class, covering topics
such as distribution, budgeting and scheduling. You will also work one-on-one with
your faculty mentor to develop material for your eventual thesis project.

Second YearYour second year of our graduate degree film production program will focus entirely
on the processes of developing a slate of film projects of your choosing, from full-length
features, to television series, webisodes and documentaries. Courses will cover topics
like copyright law with a focus on protecting intellectual property, acquiring rights
to material, and the ways to independently finance your projects. Marketing and distribution
components will be emphasized, and you will be expected to apply this knowledge in
the creation of a marketing and advertising plan for your own developed material.
Your marketing materials will range from full-length trailers to posters. The series
of screenings, workshops and seminars with guest artists will also be available in
your second year, as will various cinema studies electives from which to choose. For
your thesis project, you will work with your faculty mentor through all stages of
development and pre-production, creating the necessary business plan to aid in the
fundraising of your projects.

Careers

Graduates of our producing program have roles such as producer, co-producer, production
manager, and creative executive. They have contributed to television series like “The
Closer” and movies like “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Argo,” “Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl,”
“It Follows,” “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” “Manglehorn” and “Compliance.”